Thousands of Polish farmers protested outside the prime minister Donald Tusk's office on Wednesday, burning tyres and throwing firecrackers as they demanded a halt to cheap imports and environmental regulations they say harm their livelihoods, Paralel.Az reports citing Reuters.

Some of the protesters carried a coffin bearing a sign saying "farmer, lived 20 years, killed by the Green Deal" as they thronged the street, blowing horns and holding Polish flags aloft before they plan to march on parliament.

Protesting farmers clashed with police outside the parliament building, with police using pepper spray and accusing some participants of violence against security forces.

"Due to physical aggression against police officers by some of the people protesting ... it was necessary to use direct coercive measures," Warsaw police wrote in a post on X.

Elsewhere in the country, they blocked roads. Television footage showed tractors on the outskirts of Warsaw being stopped from entering the city.

Farmers across the European Union have been calling for changes to restrictions placed on them by the bloc's Green Deal plan to tackle climate change, and for customs duties on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine that were waived after Russia's invasion to be reimposed.